Thief
by iEvenstarEstel
Summary: Too many people have stolen from Abby. Connor aims to right a wrong done to his beloved wife.
1. Chapter 1

Thief  
2013 Evenstar Estel

_Too many people have stolen from Abby._ _Connor aims to right a wrong done to his beloved wife._

Connor couldn't sleep. The anticipation for his wedding to Abby the coming morning had him excited, giddy and nervous as hell. He was laying on Becker's sofa in his boxers under a blanket, staring out the window. It was eleven o'clock and he had to be up at seven the next morning. Abby would kill him if he yawned through his vows. He tried to relax, but knew it was impossible without the familiar warmth of Abby's body cuddled up against his. They always fell asleep in each other's arms, just like it had been in the Cretaceous. Save for a few nights when he'd been working for Prospero, they hadn't slept apart since being stranded in the prehistoric past. Even when he'd come to bed late, even when they'd been on the outs, she'd still inched closer until at least some part of her was touching him. He knew it was tradition to spend the night before the wedding apart and with Jess acting as wedding planner, Abby was meant to have the full and proper experience of any young bride. He hoped she was faring better than him.

His brow furrowed with concern when his phone began vibrating from its place on the coffee table. He reached for it, surprised to see the call was from Abby. He engaged the call, a smile spreading across his face. "Hello _Mrs. Temple in less than twenty-four hours_!" he beamed, but quickly sobered when he heard her sniff. He knew immediately that she was crying. "Abby? What's wrong?"

"Can you come home please?" she choked out. He was up like a shot, stumbling around in the dark searching for his trousers and shirt. "Sweetheart? What's happened?"

"I'm okay, honest..." He heard her breath hitch and he knew she was anything but. "I just need you."

"On my way! Fifteen minutes!"

"Don't speed, please. I can wait. I don't want you to get into a crash!" There was an hysterical edge to her voice that worried him.

"It'll be okay, whatever it is. I love you!"

"I love you too."

He'd found his clothes and boots and struggled to get them on whilst keeping Abby on the phone. "I'll be home soon as I can."

"Thank you." She hung up and Connor got dressed as quickly as possible. He pulled on his boots and jacket, patting down the pockets to make sure he had his keys. He spared a moment to shake Becker awake and tell him he was leaving, leaving a sleep addled and stupefied soldier in his wake as he ran out of the front door.

He did speed, despite Abby's telling him not to. He did a terrible job of parking his SUV and tripped going up the front steps to their flat. Since they'd moved out of Jess' and bought what would be their home as a married couple, their lives together couldn't have been more happy. Work at the ARC was more engaging and productive than ever in the wake of New Dawn and they were even adding new members to the team. Tomorrow the core team had the day off to attend their wedding, the wedding Connor now had serious concerns about!

Their front door was unlocked and he burst through. Panic took hold of him at what greeted him. The flat had been absolutely trashed. All their possessions were strewn about the place, including the boxes they were still unpacking from storage that contained their possessions from before they'd been trapped in the Cretaceous. He found Abby in the middle of the chaos, sitting cross legged and with her phone in one hand and a wad of tissues in the other. She was still crying.

"Abby!" he cried, crashing down in front of her.

"It's gone! I can't find it anywhere!" she sobbed, throwing herself at him and nearly knocking him back. Never in all the years he'd known her had he ever seen her in such a state. He didn't recognize her at all in the sobbing, hysterical woman in his arms, her tears soaking his neck and collar.

He didn't say anything, but wrapped his arms around her and stroked her back, pressing kisses to the side of her head. He held and rocked her until she'd cried herself out. She sniffled and wiped her nose with the tissues in her hand as she finally pulled away from him. He leaned in and kissed her softly, caressing her cheek with his hand.

"I'm sorry!" she blurted out. "You must think I've lost my mind."

"Not at all." The solemn and serious look on his face made her laugh wearily and she cupped his face in her hands.

"Connor you really are the best. Better than I deserve!"

"That's ridiculous. Now, tell me what's got you so upset. We're supposed to get married tomorrow..."

"We are, we will... but it's gone. I was meant to wear Gran's locket and it's gone! She made me promise to wear it on my wedding day."

"Well, it's got to be around here somewhere."

"I've looked! I've looked everywhere! It's not just the locket, it's the box and everything in it!"

Connor was confused. He'd never heard about her grandmother's locket until now. He knew how much Abby loved her maternal grandmother and how close they'd been. He also knew the terrible injustice that had been done to both of them. Once he and Abby had become lovers in the Cretaceous, she'd begun opening up about her past and pretty soon he knew every sordid detail and loved her all the more for how she'd survived. Abby's mother had her children very young, Abby when she'd been a teen and Jack barely into her twenties. She'd been a rebellious and fairly reckless girl who preferred to party rather than nurture her babies. The fact that she'd even gone through with her pregnancies still baffled her daughter. Eventually, when Abby was only four and Jack barely six months old, her mother had left and wasn't seen again for a decade.

Abby's grandparents were wonderful, loving and made Abby's childhood a very happy one. She'd had the best role models and more love than she could have ever hoped for. How two such lovely people had produced such a defiant daughter was another question Abby often asked herself. Her mother returned when Abby was fourteen, determined to reclaim her children. There'd been a nasty fight over them, the stress of which ultimately claimed her grandfather and ailed her grandmother to the point where she was unable to care for her beloved grandchildren. In the end, the courts sent Abby and Jack to live with the mother they barely knew.

The woman had only wanted her daughter and Jack because of the money she'd get from the government. Abby's life changed in an instant. She guarded her brother from her mother's boyfriend's fists, her mother's tirades and drunken binges. She worked like a slave to keep the house in order and nothing was ever good enough to earn a shred of affection from the woman who had given her life. Two years later, Abby's life was shattered, the nature of which still made Connor's blood run cold and the unnatural desire to kill a man with his bare hands vibrate through his body. Abby was old enough then to leave home and returned to her grandmother, this time caring for her in the last months of her life. After her Gran passed, Abby used the money she was bequeathed to put herself through college. Jack on the other hand squandered his inheritance and fell into the same crowd their mother favoured.

"What's the box look like? We'll search together," Connor offered, hoping to lift her spirits and give her something hopeful to hold on to. She wiped her eyes and took a deep breath and hugged him tightly before settling in his arms once more.

"It's from the nineteen thirties, not very big, but it's lovely. It's Art Deco with abalone inlayed in walnut in this geometric pattern. It's was Gran's, a gift from Grandad when they got married. Gran told me to take it and hide it from mum, knowing she'd just sell it. Gran had a Will, that's how I got the money when the house sold, but we both knew mum would sell off or steal most of her possessions first chance she got. Inside the box was her best pieces of jewellery and a few other things, all valuable. I kept my diary in it, after I was out on my own. It was all I really got to keep off them. It meant everything to me. I'd have run back into our flat for it if the place was on fire. The locket was special. It was silver, with an uncultured pearl dangling from it. When she was dying she told me she wanted me to wear it on my wedding day. I have to find it, Connor!"

"We will, sweetheart."

Her tears started a fresh and she trembled. "It's gone. It wasn't in our things from storage. Jack must've taken it, when he was here right before everything happened with Helen Cutter. He knew I had it, he knew how much everything was worth. He's probably gambled everything away, or pawned it. It's like I've lost them all over again!"

"Oh Abby..." He cajoled and soothed her as best he could, but he knew there was nothing he could do to make it right. It was a damn good thing Jack told them he wasn't coming to the wedding. Eventually he coaxed her to bed and held her until she finally fell asleep. He had a long night ahead of him, but he was determined to search every single last inch of the flat to find Abby's box, even if he had to make it through the ceremony on nothing but coffee and Becker propping him up.

!*!*!

Connor sighed, recalling the memory of the night before their wedding. He'd never seen his wife so upset or so sad, and fortunately, not since. He'd been up until three in the morning searching and tidying the flat, but the box was nowhere to be found. Both he and Abby were still convinced Jack had stolen it before he'd left their old flat. They hadn't seen or spoken to him since Abby had extended an invitation to their wedding. He'd been travelling with his mates in Australia and they'd all gotten jobs on a banana farm, spending their nights drinking and smoking pot. They hadn't a care in the world and that included coming to his sister's wedding. Abby hadn't been able to bring herself to ask him if he'd stolen her mementos from their grandparents.

He'd crawled into bed beside her, exhausted and heartbroken. She'd wakened for a few seconds only, enough to crawl into his arms and snuggle against his body. In the morning they both tried to put the night before behind them and focus on their special day. He'd debated with himself about giving her the gift he'd bought her, the one he'd intended to give her on their wedding night, and in the end retrieved the little velvet jewellery box from the luggage they'd packed for the honeymoon and over breakfast, he presented it to her.

It was a single square cut emerald pendant, the stone the size of a pea. It had cost him a fortune, but it had spoken to him as he'd scoured the jewellery shops and finally found the right gift. It dangled from a platinum chain and hugged her throat. He'd gotten it because the green was the same as Rex. She'd loved it, cried and showered him with hugs and kisses. He'd kissed the back of her neck as he'd fastened the chain and that led to their wedding night starting that morning.

The rest of the day had gone off without a hitch. It couldn't have been more romantic and uplifting. Abby had put the sadness at not wearing her grandmother's locket behind her and concentrated on the happiness of the day and finally starting her life as Connor's wife. Married life suited them both and the more time passed, the more in love they were. The changes were most felt at home. There was little time at the ARC to relax and enjoy being together. It was enough to be in the same room, to work and look out for each other in the field. At home, they could be themselves and leave the world outside to itself. They'd been best friends almost from the moment they'd first met and were best friends still, and so much more.

Connor knew his wife had regrets, the primary of which was putting her brother before him when he'd come looking for a place to stay. The second was ever trusting Jack to do right by her. For a while after their wedding, Abby and he spent their Saturdays searching through antique shops for the box and its contents. After several months and just about every shop in London had been visited, Abby gave up hope. He saw it in her eyes. She didn't shed any tears, but when the next Saturday had come around, and she suggested they go shopping for new towels and linens instead, he knew she'd accepted the loss of her prized possessions.

Now, months later he was still bothered by it.

Today had brought it all to the forefront of his mind and it was because of the breakthrough he'd had. He'd been working on theories and reprogramming one of the hand held anomaly devices he'd been developing with Evan Cross and Toby Nance from the Vancouver branch of the ARC. Since the Canadian team had been merged with the one in the UK, anomaly research and application was at its most efficient and progressive. The device integrated Connor's detection technology, Toby's timing mechanism, and Connor's dating calculator. Now, it also contained one more system. He still had to test the device, but if he'd done things correctly, and he was pretty sure he had, he could now open an anomaly at will to any time and place he wanted.

After New Dawn, Lester had ordered him to cease and desist all research pertaining to anything he'd done for New Dawn, including opening his own anomalies. But since Connor had done it already, the desire to perfect the science was one his brain and his ambition just couldn't let go of. The main use would be to send their wayward guests in the menagerie home. But it had to be tested first.

"Earth to Connor!" Abby sing-songed. He snapped out of his fog and turned to the doorway of his lab, finding Abby standing there leaning against the door jamb. "You were on another planet! Ready to go home?"

"Hmm? Oh! Yep! Just, um, let me tidy up," he stammered.

"Connor, this lab has looked like a hurricane hit it since you moved in."

"Very funny. Just give me two minutes!" Abby smiled indulgently and Connor gathered up his notes, his tablet computer and the device he'd been working on, stuffing them into his leather supple, dark brown bag had been a gift from Abby on their first anniversary and he used it for everything. He knew it pleased Abby her gift was so well loved. He checked that he'd turned everything else off before making his way to her and taking his hand in hers and walking with her down the hall. "Home!"

"Home! You were holed up in there all day. Anything exciting to report?"

"Um, no, not just yet, still all in me head."

She leaned in and kissed his temple. "And what a very nice head it is. We'll see what we can do about letting that brain of yours have a rest. We should have fish and chips for dinner. Fish is supposed to be good for your brain."

"Not deep fried in batter it's not!"

"Fine then, we'll just have nice garden salad."

"But what about our fish and chips? Please?"

Abby rolled her eyes at him and tugged him into the lift.

Once the doors to the lift closed, Abby slipped her hand from his and turned to face him. She put one arm around his neck and pulled him down for a hungry kiss that left him lightheaded. Her other arm wound around his waist as she deepened the kiss. After a few seconds she pulled away, laughing lightly at how his eyes remained closed and his lips sought her again.

"You're going to make love to me tonight," she stated rather confidently.

"I am?" he replied before giving his head a shake. "Well, course I am."

They reached the parkade and Abby slipped away from him and he practically scurried after her, catching up to her and securing his arm around her waist. Abby said nothing more, but took the keys from his jacket pocket and went to the driver's side of their vehicle. There was a certain gleam in her eye, something playful. He had a feeling they were in for a fantastic night together.

Hours later Connor lay awake in the dark, staring up at the ceiling. Abby's nude body was flush atop his, sound asleep with her face snuggled against his neck as her hands grasped his shoulders. They were under their duvet and his arms held her close. They were possessive of each other in bed, not only in their couplings, but as they slept as well. Connor was sleepy and as comfortable as could be, but there was an urge inside him he couldn't resist. It wasn't that he wanted to test his new device, so much as restore to Abby the antique box that had been stolen from her years ago. He knew the box and its contents were valuable in terms of money, but he knew that wasn't why Abby missed them, it was because they were part of her grandparents memory and that was priceless.

Abby stirred and kissed his neck before yawning and stretching. He carefully rolled them to their sides and Abby settled back down, tucking herself into him and falling back asleep. Gently as he could he slipped away from her, watching as she curled into a ball and snuggled into his pillow. He wrapped the duvet around her and she murmured his name in her sleep. In that moment his decision was made. He was going to get back what had been taken from her.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

May 16th, 2009 was a day Connor would never forget. It was the day that Jack Maitland nearly got them all killed. That future world might not still exist, but the very idea of it still made Connor's blood run cold. On the other side of the coin, that day at the race track hadn't been all bad. It was the site of his and Abby's first kiss. She'd told him later, when they'd been in the Cretaceous, that it was one of the defining moments in her life. She'd had an epiphany and had realized that he truly did love her. She'd had doubts after he'd rescued her from the Mer Creatures and denied his declaration of love for her and over time, she'd accepted that maybe he didn't mean it. After what he'd done for her, for Rex and for Jack, Abby knew then that his love was real. She'd wanted so much more than that kiss too, but she'd been scared. Their year in the Cretaceous, in its own perverse way, had been the best thing that had ever happened to them. Now they were married and would spend the rest of their lives together.

Connor went into his home office and closed the door after getting himself dressed and ready for his excursion. He had a gnawing feeling of unease in the pit of his stomach, but he was resolute. Thinking of the brilliant woman sleeping contentedly in his bed, the one he'd pledged his life to, he simply _had _to do this. He took a deep breath and organized himself. He put the essentials in his leather satchel and slung the strap over his shoulder and across his chest. First order of business was to infiltrate his own security system and temporarily shut down the ADD. Not so anyone would actually notice, but just so it wouldn't detect the one he was about to open. If everything went according to plan, he'd be gone from this time only a few seconds, no matter how long he spent in the past.

He tucked the tablet away in his satchel and took hold of his anomaly device. He programmed the time and the location and engaged it. The anomaly nearly encompassed the entirety of his office. Connor dashed through and on to the familiar streets of his and Abby's old neighbourhood, quickly closing the anomaly behind him. It looked like the same May 16th he'd remembered. He walked out of the alley alongside his and Abby's building and made his way to the front door. It was in that moment he realized a very grievous mistake. He hadn't any keys with which to unlock the door! He cursed himself and banged his forehead against it.

"Connor, it's so nice to see you back!" came a vaguely familiar voice behind him. Connor gasped audibly and turned around to meet the eyes of his and Abby's old neighbour, Mrs. Fairfax. She was in her seventies and quite spry. She was a sweet old dear and always offered him and Abby tea and cakes if they happened to be coming home at the right time. Connor knew she reminded Abby of her Gran a little bit and the two got on quite well. They'd both been sad to learn that she'd passed on during their year away, taken by a sudden stroke.

"Mrs. Fairfax! Hi!" Connor replied, a little too enthusiastically.

"Have you and Abby finally made up?"

"Made up?" Connor suddenly felt very awkward. She'd always assumed he and Abby had been a couple, despite them both telling her otherwise several times. In hindsight he supposed the old woman knew what he and Abby hadn't been able to realize at the time.

"Is that no good brother of hers leaving? I hope so, rude little snot!"

Connor couldn't help himself, he grinned. "Um, soon, probably."

"Oh good. He never once offered to carry my groceries! Useless twat, if you ask me!"

"That's a fair assessment, yeah."

"Have you forgotten your key then?"

"Hmm? Oh! Yeah, I just need to get something for work, but I left me keys at me mate's. I could probably pick the lock..."

"Nonsense, you wait right here. I've got the spare Abby gave me in case of an emergency. Did you forget?"

Connor could've kissed her in that moment! In fact when she returned and passed him the key, he hugged her. He entered the flat and took a deep breath. He heard Rex chitter above him and then swoop down to land on his shoulder.

"Rex, mate! Good to see you. Happy to be home?" he asked of his little friend, remembering that the him of this time had brought the Coelurosauravus home just the day before. Connor ruffled Rex's fringe and received a lick to the face in reciprocation before Rex took off back to his comfortable spot high above. Connor cast a glance at his watch and did a double-take. He'd clearly made a miscalculation somewhere. He'd come back several hours later than he'd intended. Right now he and Abby were probably having their lovely kiss and she'd be home within the hour. He cursed and started searching for Abby's antique box. The most logical place to look would be her bedroom.

He made quick work of going through her closet, but it wasn't to be found. He was getting worried and exasperated. He went through her drawers, finding it amusing that he was pawing through her knickers considering they were now married, but the box wasn't there either. The last place was under the bed. He crouched down and that's when he heard voices outside the bedroom in the flat.

"Oh come off it, Abby!" Jack groused. "Everything worked out. No one died!"

"Becker almost died! And you didn't even show a shred of remorse! He's our friend. You could've at least pretended!" Abby raged. It heartened Connor to hear her giving her brother an earful. He'd certainly deserved it this day.

"This is your fault you know, if you'd told me this was what you did for a living..."

"Don't you dare! Don't you dare, Jack! My work is sanctioned by the government as top secret, I bloody well had to sign my life away to get the job in the first place. I can't tell you or anyone else. Even Connor can keep his mouth shut, so I sure as hell wasn't going to tell you. And that's another thing! I can't believe I put Connor out of his own home for you. You brought your degenerate friends over, turned the place into a pigsty, you ate my food, used up my favourite shampoo and gambled away Rex!"

"Connor got him back! I don't see what the big deal is!"

"The big deal is that I hurt Connor! He saved your life and you couldn't even say thank you!"

"Looked like you said it enough for both of us, sis."

"You're lucky I don't knock your head off for that. Connor's my friend, my best friend. He's the only one who's ever... he... I..." Her voice cracked and Connor could tell, even through the door, that she was crying. "I'm going for a shower Jack. Pack your things. It's time you moved on."

"Abby..."

"Just do it, Jack."

Connor listened and heard the bathroom door slammed close and the shower come on. He let out a shaky breath. Abby had never told him about this fight with Jack. They'd spoken about so much when they'd been in the Cretaceous, but this had never come up. He'd just assumed Jack left of his own volition. Connor knew he now had but a few minutes to find Abby's antique box and make his escape. He looked under the bed and his heart sunk. It wasn't there. There was nothing. Trust Abby to have found a secret hiding place for her most precious items.

He'd been so absorbed in continuing his search that he'd failed to notice Abby was done with her shower until she was opening the door to her bedroom. He dove under the bed with not a second to spare. He saw her towel drop to the floor and peaked out from under the bed, admiring the woman that would one day be his wife. Once she'd dressed in a pair of pyjamas, she knelt down. He quickly hid himself again, hoping she'd not look his way. She pulled the rug back and felt along the floorboards until she found the one that was loose. She pulled it up and pulled out the much sought for box. Instead of opening it, she set it aside and reached back into the small space, pulling out his favourite red scarf. It had gone missing ages ago and Abby had feigned having no knowledge of its whereabouts. He felt a true sadness come over him as she buried her face in it and cried.

He'd never known she could breakdown like this, over him. She'd told him in the Cretaceous that at this point in their past, she was already in love with him, but he'd not expected her to be this vulnerable and emotional over it. He certainly hadn't expected that she'd kept something of his. He was sure her breakdown also had a lot to do with the stress of the day and the earlier fight with her brother. Eventually she placed the box and the scarf back under the floorboard, then crawled into bed. Connor lay still and waited until she was asleep. He longed to come out and take her in his arms and hold her, but she wasn't yet the woman who could take comfort from him. He took solace in knowing that one day she would be.

Once he was certain she'd not wake, he retrieved the antique box from its hiding place, placing it in his satchel and made his escape from the flat. Jack was already gone and Connor was glad for it. He cringed realizing he owed the guy an apology. It seemed Connor was the one to have stolen the box and not Jack afterall. There'd be time enough to sort it out later, right now he had to get home. He closed the front door of the flat behind him, making sure to lock it before pocketing the key. He made his way back to the alley and brought out his anomaly device.

He froze. There was nothing on the screen. No lights, no activity, nothing. It appeared to be dead. He was just about sick in his mouth, realizing he'd not bothered to charge the battery in the device before embarking on this foolish excursion and now he was trapped four years in his past.

"No, no, no, no, no..." he stammered. He'd not considered how much a drain the new operations might be on the device's charge. How could he have been such an idiot! He was nearly hyperventilating when he heard Abby's voice in the back of his head. Just like with the remote to their old tv, and the anomaly device of Helen's they'd found, he gave his own a good hard shake. The thing came to life for a moment and Connor didn't waste a second, opened the anomaly home and dove through before it had a chance to fail.

He rolled away from the anomaly and hit the door of his office with a thud. Whatever power in the device that had kept the anomaly open for the few seconds it had was gone and the swirling ball of light contracted and blinked out of existence. Connor lay on the floor breathing hard, his hand holding tight to the satchel and the box within. He'd done it, by the skin of his teeth, but he'd done it. Still laying on the floor, he brought out his tablet to put the ADD back into working order before setting everything, including the box, on his desk.

After sufficiently calming himself down, he went to the bathroom and took off his clothes, then with a damp cloth wiped the sweat from his body and splashed some cold water on his face. He glanced at his watch. He'd only been gone from Abby for five minutes on this side. It was five minutes too long. He made his way back to the bedroom and found her just as he'd left her, huddled up in the duvet with her head on his pillow. He sat down and gave her a nudge, waking her.

"Connor?" she murmured sleepily.

"Hey, love," he whispered back. "Think there's room in there for me?"

"Hmm? Oh... sorry." She rolled on to her back and stretched out. He climbed in beside her and exhaled. She turned back to him and cuddled at his side, laying her head to his chest and wrapping her arm around his middle. "Where did you go?"

"Nowhere, just needed the loo."

"I missed you."

"You were sound asleep."

"Still missed you."

He kissed the top of her head and hugged his arm around her shoulders. "I missed you too."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Connor felt wonderfully warm and content. He was in a hazy state between deep sleep and wakefulness. He was aware of a few things however, the primary of which was that Abby's nude body was pressed to his and that they held each other. Her face was nestled at his neck and his hand was on her arse, clutching it possessively. The scent of her filled his nostrils and he realized that some parts of him were more awake than others and judging by the way Abby's hand was now grasping that rather awake part, she was definitely coming around too.

"Morning," she spoke, beginning to kiss and suckle along the column of his throat. "You. Me. Bed. All day. "

"Okay," he rasped, rolling her beneath him, letting instinct guide him as they came together.

"Make it last, Conn."

He captured her mouth for a passionate kiss and they began to move together, grasping and clinging to each other as they once again showed each other the depth of their love and just how nice their morning was going to be.

An hour later they lay side by side with twin smiles on their faces with bodies covered in sweat.

"Wow," Connor spoke, trying to catch his breath.

"Yeah," Abby replied, equally as worn out. "It's a good thing it's Saturday. I don't want to move. My legs feel like jelly."

"We really gonna spend all day doing this?"

"Pretty much, if you're up to it."

"I will be, just gimme a few minutes."

She giggled and climbed on top of him, giving him a firm kiss. "I can't wait! It's been a while since we've had a day in bed. I'm feeling romantic. I want to make love all day, talk, sleep, cuddle. All the good stuff. Be right back!" She was gone seconds later, off to the bathroom. The moment struck him. He desperately wanted to give her the box he'd gone to such extreme lengths to steal for her. He got out of bed and raced towards his office, only to run into Abby as she exited the bathroom. Diverted, he gave her a quick kiss and a swat to her bottom, sending her back to bed before entering the bathroom himself. He took the time to compose himself, knowing he had a lot of explaining to do. He knew she'd be happy to have her belongings returned to her. He just had to make her understand the paradox he'd created around them; and that they could send the creatures home to their own time; that he'd had another major break through; and leave out the part where he almost trapped himself in the past.

He left the bathroom and darted into his office, quickly retrieving the antique box. He paused and looked at it. The craftsmanship was impressive and it was beautifully made, just the perfect sort of gift for a man to give his wife on her wedding day. He took a deep breath and returned to the bedroom, hiding the box behind his back. He found his wife reclined provocatively on their bed, smiling at him and raking her eyes over his naked body.

"You're gorgeous, you know?" she complimented as he climbed back into bed, keeping the box behind him. He wrapped his arm around her and kissed her soundly.

"Thanks, love. You're not so bad... actually, you're the most exquisite creature on the face of the entire planet." This time she kissed him, her desire more than evident. Reluctantly he pulled away, but his hand still caressed her face. "I've done something," he began. "Something good!" he added before she could give him that patented Abby look that always made him feel about two feet tall. "Though you might want to smack me for it. It's turned out in our favour, but in hindsight it was pretty reckless of me."

There was concern and confusion on her face and he couldn't quite meet her eyes, but he did look at her when she placed her fingers under his chin and tipped his head up. "What did you do?"

He reached behind him and picked up the box, presenting it to her. "Um, this."

The sound she made was one of pure shock and amazement. Her tears were instantaneous and her hand trembled as she reached to take it from him. "It... it's the same?" she asked, her voice thready.

"It's yours Abby, not a copy."

"How? How did you find it after all these years?" He placed it in her hands and the feel of possessing it overwhelmed her. He cajoled and caressed her as he explained all he'd done. Abby listened, caught between staring at his face and the box in her hands.

"I don't know if we can believe in fate, or destiny n' whatnot, but I guess it since it was me all along and here we are now, married, maybe it was meant to be? If I hadn't gone back and snuck into our flat, then someone would've eventually found the box, maybe while we were trapped in the Cretaceous, and it would've been lost forever. I probably should've gone and hid it in the flat the night before our wedding, but..."

"It was a perfect day. I wouldn't want to change a thing."

"That's what I thought, yeah. But I could still... I could go back, stop your mum's boyfriend from..."

Abby shook her head vehemently. "No! Connor you know you can't change the past." She took hold of his hand, gripping it firmly. "It could unravel our lives. I couldn't bear to think we'd change what we have now. Now is perfect. I couldn't have imagined a better life for myself. What you've done, it's more... I don't even have the words for how amazing this is. I can't ever thank you enough."

"You don't need to thank me, Abby. I did it because I love you."

She sat herself up and he followed. She set the box between them and opened it, revealing its contents to him. Abby wiped away the stray tears from her cheeks as she lifted out her grandmother's locket, dangling it between them, showing Connor its delicate beauty. She opened it and he looked upon the side by side pictures of her two grandparents when they'd been young. The sight made him smile. "Our daughter can wear it on her wedding day instead."

"Daughter?" he questioned, a nervous edge to his voice. The prospect of children excited him and Abby smiled upon him fondly.

"If we're lucky. I promise even if we have to have five boys first, we'll have a girl someday."

Connor gulped, imagining the prospect. She set the locket back in the box and showed him the other pieces - several pairs of earrings, a brooch, cufflinks, rings; Connor could understand why Abby had needed to hide it, certain the pieces were valued at a King's ransom. She reached for his hand and turned his palm up, then placed a silver pocket watch into it.

"This was my grandfather's," she explained. "I wanted to give this to you on our wedding night. It wasn't just the locket I was upset about losing. This was meant to be my gift to you." She popped it open and Connor felt his throat tighten as he held back tears. It was beautiful, and probably the nicest thing he'd ever own. From the filigree carved into the silver to the fine polished enamel face and finally the crystal that protected it all, he was stunned. He'd learn later that the shimmer that caught the light was in fact gold dust mixed into the enamel. It was an extraordinary piece. "Keeps perfect time too, so long as you remember to wind it." He laughed and nodded his head, closing the watch and holding it in his hand. He too was overwhelmed. She took it from him and placed it back in the box for safe keeping.

The last thing she brought out was her diary, then closed the box back up again. "This... I want you to read it, if you could," she asked. "We've never been closer, Connor, but there's things in here that I haven't fully explained, or even told you. My past, you know it, but here it's in my own words at the age I wrote them. I've kept them to myself for far too long. You don't have to do it straight away, in your own time is fine. I think after you've read it, I won't have any secrets from you, you'll know me completely."

"I already do, love."

"Yeah, I know you do, Conn, but I want you to know the me from before we met. Anyways, don't worry about it now." She took the journal from his hands and set it aside on his bedside table with the box. She came to him, wrapping her arms around his body and capturing his mouth for a fiery kiss. Neither needed any more encouragement and sunk down into the mattress to make love again.

Connor sprinkled the powdered sugar on the strawberries, the perfect finishing touch to the French Toast he'd prepared them for breakfast. He carefully balanced the plate of food and their cups of tea on the tray and made his way back to bed. It was early afternoon and finally their appetite for food had gotten stronger than the one for sex. They were sticking to Abby's plan to spend the day in bed and it was unlikely either one was going to give a thought to putting on clothes of any sort. He returned to her and they ate in companionable silence, feeding each other and trading kisses between mouthfuls of food.

When they were done and the tray was set aside, Abby stretched out and yawned before snuggling up at Connor's side and laying her head to his chest. "Just a little nap," she murmured as her eyes closed. Connor smiled and pulled the duvet over her shoulders. He was sat up, reclined against several pillows. To his right on the bedside table was Abby's diary. He looked at it apprehensively, not sure if he wanted to read it now, knowing that what it contained was not all pleasant. Abby had asked him to read it and for her sake, he picked it up and opened it to the first page. He smiled at her child's handwriting, _Abigail Sarah Maitland's Diary! DO NOT READ! Age 12. _The first entries were full of sweetness and happiness. The diary was a birthday gift from her grandmother. The entries were sparse until he reached the family's trip to the Galapagos Islands the following year. Each day of the three weeks Abby, her brother and their grandparents were there, she detailed everything she saw, ate and did. Connor smiled throughout, picturing his wife as the effervescent and happy girl who'd written the words on the pages.

As the year waned the entries became less frequent, coinciding with the return of their mother into their lives. Connor was in tears within the turn of a few pages. Reading his wife's insurmountable grief and fear in her own teenaged words was almost too much to bear. He persevered for Abby's sake, because she'd asked him to do this. His guts twisted and he felt very much like throwing the diary across the room as he read first of her grandfather's death, then the life Abby lead living with her mum and finally the worst of it when her mother married the odious monster that had made everything so much worse.

He'd not noticed Abby was awake beside him until her hand gently reached up and took the diary from his. He looked down at her and met her sad eyes. "Thank you," she whispered, eternally grateful that he'd read it as she had asked. "How far did you get?"

"Till just after your gran died," he whispered back, his voice strained. She nodded and opened the diary, skipping ahead almost towards the end before passing it back to him.

"This is the last entry, a couple of weeks before Jack showed up at our flat." She pressed a soft kiss to his jaw and lay her hand to his neck, nuzzling her nose against his throat, wanting to be close to him.

_I'm in love with Connor._

It was just that one sentence. A quiet, secret admission to no one but herself. She'd of course told him since that she'd been in love with him for quite some time, even as long ago as when he'd been dating Caroline. But, she'd been too scared within herself, too doubting that she deserved real love and not yet understanding the entirety of who Connor really was and what he was offering her. She understood now and was secure in the knowledge that she had and deserved Connor's love.

He leaned down and kissed her softly. "I love you too, Abby."

"Do something else for me?"

"Of course."

"Light a fire?"

"Are you cold, love? Cause I could warm you up..."

"Not cold, but a fire's romantic. And for another reason, it's time to say a final goodbye to Abby Maitland - the girl in this diary."

"I loved Abby Maitland."

"I know. But I'm Abby Temple now. I was ready to say goodbye to Abby Maitland on the day we got married. I was done being her. I want this diary and all its memories, even the good ones, to be set free. I only want to think about the future from now on."

"You're sure?"

"I'm sure. Get the fire started."

Connor dutifully did as his wife asked and waited for her to get back into bed after she'd left for a few minutes. She returned to the bedroom, obscuring something in her hand and he watched as she picked up the diary from his side of the bed and walked over to the fire that burned in the hearth across from their bed. She tossed the diary into the flames then returned to him, climbing into bed and snuggling back at his side as she had been all day. They watched as the pages of the book turned to ash, with Connor stroking his fingers through Abby's hair. As the last of the pages disappeared, she let out a big sigh.

"I have another gift for you," she spoke. "One worth a lot more than the pocket watch."

"Were those cufflinks solid gold?" he asked, a certain mirth to his voice.

"Yes, and those are yours too, but that's not your gift, it's something a lot more precious." She reached back under her pillow to retrieve the object she'd had with her when she'd come back to the bedroom. He'd not asked her about it, knowing she'd show him in her own time and evidently that was now. She held the little plastic wand and its window before him, showing a very clear positive sign along with the word _pregnant_ beside it.

He knew Abby was trying to restrain herself by the way she was biting into her bottom lip and how her eyes shone in the firelight. He knew he looked like an idiot with his jaw dropped to his chest and his bottom lip trembling. Tears were already brimming in his eyes. He really didn't have words to describe all that he was feeling. Beside him Abby laughed and kissed his cheek.

"I've suspected for a week now, but took the test this morning. I was going to tell you earlier, but you gave me the box and well..."

He nodded and sniffed. "Your gift is so much better than mine!" he choked out.

"Yours is incredible, but yep, I definitely trump you this time, _daddy_." She leaned over him and set the home pregnancy test down on the bedside table then drew him into a beautiful kiss as she pulled him down to the bed again. "Though technically, you're the one who's given me this gift, and I'll give it back to you in about eight months or so in one very beautiful and cuddly little package." He smiled and captured her lips for another scorching kiss. Consumed by passion and love, they came together once more, this time in celebration. Connor had too many thoughts to focus on any one. What he did know however was that she was a better thief than him. She'd stolen his heart inside of two seconds of meeting him. She had all of him, but now as they made love and it sunk in that she was having his baby, he thought maybe he'd stolen just as much of her as she had of him. They'd not have it any other way.

The End


End file.
